GREENSBORO, N.C.—Junior
Aman Vantipalli (Alpharetta, Ga.) was one of just 12 players to finish under par as the 20th-ranked Babson College men's golf team sits in 13th place through 36 holes in the Gate City Invitational at Forest Oaks Country Club.
The Beavers shot 299 in the morning round and 298 in the afternoon to post a 36-hole score of 21-over 597 on Monday. No. 2 Huntingdon is atop the leaderboard at 8-under par, No. 9 Kenyon is second at 1-over, and Shenandoah (3-over), fifth-ranked Methodist (7-over) and Greensboro (8-over) round out the top five.
Vantipalli carded three birdies and two bogeys in his opening round on the way to shooting a 1-under 71 in round one and followed it up with an even-par 72 that included four birdies and four bogeys. He will enter Tuesday's final round in a tie for ninth place just four shots behind Drew Silman of Covenant.
Following a tough start, senior
Jack Berry (Western Springs, Ill.) played his final 24 holes in 1-under on Monday to conclude the day in a tie for 42nd position at 6-over 150. He finished the final six holes of round one at 1-under to record a 78 and then made four birdies and four bogeys on the way to shooting an even-par 72 in the afternoon.
Sophomore
Luke Walker (Bradenton, Fla.) made three birdies in a four-hole stretch on his second nine in the first round on the way to shooting a 2-over 74. He birdied the par-4 10th hole to being round two and was just 2-over through 13 holes before giving back three shots late in the round to card a 77 that left him in a tie for 47th place at 7-over.
First-year
Sadiq Habib (Richmond Hill, Ontario) was steady throughout his collegiate debut, making 15 pars in round one and shooting 77-77 to grab a share of 69th position at 10-over 154 through 36 holes. Junior
Chad Tordone (Barnstable, Mass.) also opened with a 77 but struggled late in the second round, shooting an 84 that has him tied for 92nd at 17-over.
Final round play at Forest Oaks CC will get underway at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Babson is making its first appearance at the Gate City Invitational, which features seven programs that are ranked in the Bushnell Golfweek preseason poll as part of the 18-team field.
• The Beavers are tied for sixth in the field through 36 holes with 112 pars, which includes Habib finishing the day tied for third with 26.
• Vantipalli is tied for seventh in the field with seven birdies and was one of 11 in the 99-player field to finish at even par or better in both rounds on Monday.
• The average score among all players on Monday was 75.72.
